The City of Tucson has announced it will observe March 30 this year as “Dolores Huerta Day,” dropping the use of César Chávez’s name for the city holiday amid renewed scrutiny and allegations of sexual abuse against the late labor leader. The update has been made on the City’s official site, which states ‘the holiday will be observed on the final Monday or the final Friday in March, whichever is closest in time to March 31.’ It was also shared in a recent Facebook post from the City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility:
In a statement to KGUN, Mayor Regina Romero said, “I spoke with City Manager Thomure about changing the name quickly because of the urgency involved. Dolores Huerta co-founded a movement that continues to inspire, which is why her name was already part of our City holiday. The current name change is only meant to apply this year. I have already asked for a Mayor and Council conversation at our April 7 meeting about reaching a community-informed long-term resolution.”
Romero, who previously led the effort to recognize Chávez with a city holiday and who in 2025 helped add Dolores Huerta’s name to the local observance, had recently said on March 18 that the city was looking at how to address the holiday’s name while keeping celebrations to honor farm workers and the movement…